Plan long on big dreams, not so much on big means
As the city moves toward completion a new long-range plan for its outdoor park, trail and open space network, we are reminded of some dates from recent history on a closely related project coordinated ...
State revenue forecast could be too much of a good thing
The end of August produced a bounty of good news for Oregonians, some of it seasonal and predictable, like kids returning to classes and hot weather fading to fall cooling, some of it less so on either ...
Just say no to stipends for local board service
Since July 1, Oregon school boards have been authorized by the body that picks up the tab for public education, the state Legislature, to begin paying members up to $500 a month for their service. But ...
Water a critical commodity and it's being frittered away
The New York Times published a report on America’s groundwater status last month, based on exhaustive analysis of monitoring data from 84,544 wells from every corner of the country. Alarmingly, it ...
May disastrous Maui wildfire serve as a wakeup call here
What happens in Maui doesn’t stay in Maui. That’s particularly true when you’re talking about the highest domestic wildfire death toll in more than a century — 114 and counting ...
Sustainability fair extends beyond ‘recycle’ to ‘rethink’
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The successful Recycling and Sustainability Fair on Aug. 19 in downtown McMinnville embodied the adage as it offered an enjoyable, enduring lesson ...
Police raid on Kansas paper stains our nation's birthright
Police in Marion, Kansas, shook the foundations of American journalism last Friday when they raided the offices of the 154-year-old Marion County Record, seizing computers, cellphones, servers and other ...
If you seek public input, you commit to heeding it
Here at the News-Register, we used to stage an annual You Be the Editor exercise for current and future civic leaders. The core element was asking them to play editor for a day by making up a front page ...
Big issues demand attention on sustained long-term basis
On the surface, the international climate crisis and national homeless crisis might seem markedly dissimilar. However, they share some parallels worth considering as we struggle to address their ruinously ...
Boost in court resources may be money well spent
There are no courts closer to the people than the municipal courts serving cities and justice courts serving counties. But their jurisdiction is limited to the realm of ordinance and traffic violations, ...
Rubber site a rare opportunity for visionary redevelopment
Thirty years ago, McMinnville’s downtown core was virtually at death’s door. Third Street’s largest and most prominent landmark, the venerable Hotel Oregon, was in a sad state of disrepair, ...
Local fireworks response first step on a long road
The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress formed by the original 13 states, is revered as the foundational document for our nation. We celebrate Independence ...
One thing left utterly undone: campaign finance reform
This year’s 160-day Oregon legislative session featured a 42-day walkout by conservative senators, all Republican except our own Brian Boquist, a longtime Republican now claiming independent allegiance. But ...
Finding reason to harbor hope may prove useful start point
Pardon us if we seem to be discovering a dollop of hope where there is none, or ginning up a modicum of optimism when none is warranted, but we thought we detected some encouraging echoes of meaningful ...
Create community by showing up, or helping out
Creating community requires three main elements: time, space and people. Summertime in Yamhill County is the perfect time to gather, and numerous events and locations stand ready. What they require, to ...
